variants or less commonly counter-suit
plural countersuits also counter-suits
Synonyms of countersuitnext
: an opposing lawsuit
especially : a claim asserted by an opposing party in a lawsuit (such as a defendant) against the party bringing the original lawsuit (such as a plaintiff) : counterclaim
decided to file a countersuit against her accuser
The current appeal results from a patent infringement suit and countersuit between Apple Inc. ("Apple") and Samsung Electronics Co … Apple, Inc. v. Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd., 816 F. 3d 788 (2016)

Examples of countersuit in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The lawsuit, filed in October 2025, stated the Stars violated the agreement to jointly operated the arena set out by both parties which rendered the Mavs as the sole operators which the Stars called a hostile takeover in their countersuit. Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 17 Aug. 2026 Baldoni denied the allegations and filed countersuits against Lively, her husband Ryan Reynolds, 49, their publicist Leslie Sloane and The New York Times. Elizabeth Rosner, PEOPLE, 27 July 2026 Baldoni also filed a countersuit against Lively and her husband, Ryan Reynolds, in January 2025, alleging that the couple and their PR firm had defamed him and Wayfarer Studios. Leigh Blickley, Entertainment Weekly, 27 July 2026 In 2025, that anonymous woman filed a countersuit, alleging in turn that the Tates defamed her. Kat Tenbarge, Rolling Stone, 20 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for countersuit

Word History

First Known Use

1814, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of countersuit was in 1814

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Cite this Entry

“Countersuit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/countersuit. Accessed 21 Aug. 2026.

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